March Madness for Weather Enthusiasts

Have you ever seen a rainfall report on one of our weather segments and thought “that’s not what I got”?

Well, here’s your chance to help! 

During the month of March, you’re encouraged to sign up to be a volunteer observer with the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network, or CoCoRaHS, program. It’s a network of volunteers in Florida and across the U.S. who provide rainfall, snowfall, and hail observations from their communities.

This month, the goal is to increase the number of rainfall observations in our area and throughout the state of Florida during “CoCoRaHS March Madness.”

It’s especially needed in rural, less populated areas where there are few official observation sites.

CoCoRaHS reports were extremely valuable in our area last year during hurricane season, particularly with Eta, and during other heavy rain events. The reports filled the gaps between official observation sites. 

We check local CoCoRaHS reports because we know how much rain you received could be very different from a nearby neighborhood, especially during our daily summer thunderstorms.

The reports are also important to National Weather Service meteorologists, farmers, forestry officials, water management employees, and emergency management personnel.

If you’re interested, you can register on the CoCoRaHS website: www.cocorahs.org.

After registering, you take a simple online training session, order your 4-inch rain gauge (it’s about 30 dollars plus tax) and start reporting rainfall amounts from your own backyard!